Far from Home
by CaptainAmberRose
Summary: This will be a multi-chapter story about how Fili & Kili joined the company. Set before the Hobbit.
1. Chapter 1

**Set just before The Hobbit, this will be a multi-chapter fic concerning how Fili & Kili joined the company. I have another story in the works as requested by ****_I love filikili_**** and am very happy to take requests from anyone else interested. Hope you enjoy.**

**Far from Home**

He ground his teeth together, swinging the rock-hewn hammer down onto the still molten blade with uncharacteristic savageness, furiously trying to ignore both the throbbing, burning pain in his left shoulder and the mocking jeers of the older dwarves that worked the forge around him.

Plunging the rapidly cooling blade into a barrel of water beside the anvil, he flung aside the hammer in frustration, spinning on his heel and rapidly retreating from the forge to the catcalls and taunts of his fellow smiths.

Bowled along by his anger, he found himself pacing the long familiar halls of his place of birth. Eriador, the Blue Mountain stronghold of the dwarves, had been the sanctuary of his people for nearly a hundred years since the dragon Smaug had desecrated their homeland.

The dwarves native to that land – a little taller in stature than those of Erebor, with stout shoulders and hair black as pitch – had welcomed them grudgingly; taking pity on their unfortunate brethren, but allowing neither sympathy nor charity to pass to their smaller cousins.

Neither compassionate nor hospitable towards outsiders, the dwarves of Eriador lived relatively solitary lives in an exclusive society that resented outside influence, choosing instead to value archaic tradition over empathy.

In the hundred or so years that had passed, little had changed for the erstwhile refugees of the lonely mountain, whose children born under the Blue Mountains were similarly rejected.

Fili and his younger brother Kili were two of such dwarves; both born to dwarves made homeless by the sacking of Erebor in the stronghold of Eriador.

Fili in particular, whose golden brown hair singled him out for ridicule amongst his darker haired fellows, was subjected continuously to the bitterness and mockery of the dwarves of Eriador – a fact that would have bothered him little had the taunting not affected his kin and younger brother.

His mother, in the ground barely a decade, Aüle rest her, had despaired, having implored their Uncle to leave their refuge, leave the dwarves with hearts made of bone and lead their people to a better life elsewhere. But their Uncle's heart lay far to the east, his mind filled with memories of the splendour of home, his dreams filled with the glory of retaking the lonely mountain, his thoughts occupied only with the dragon and its cavern.

He paused, his feet having carried him unconsciously to his destination, to tap gently on the oaken door, not waiting for a reply as he shunted the heavy door aside with his good shoulder.

"You should be resting."

Kili looked up briefly from his lap, casually fletching arrows with his legs crossed, back propped against the rocky wall.

"I believe the same assessment was made for you, brother, though I am the one sitting calmly and you're the one working at the forge."

"My wounds were not so serious." Fili groused, suitably chastised.

Kili smirked, discarding a handful of owl feathers. "And yet I was not the one who nearly died from infection only two weeks ago. I'm surprised you can even move your arm."

Swiping his brother lightly, Fili threw himself down beside him, trying to suppress a wince as the movement jarred his bad shoulder. He brushed away the concerned glance thrown in his direction, chagrined by his inability to refute his brother's statement.

He rested his head against the cool stone, grumbling internally at the speed his shoulder was healing. Being useless was not a feeling he was accustomed to.

Gingerly, he probed the still healing wound with idle fingers, feeling it twinge and throb with the pressure. He wondered how long it would take to have full function of his shoulder again. Maybe it would never be the same. He shuddered with disgust.

Cold hands smacked his fingers away from the injury and he looked up to his brother's disapproving expression as he loomed over him.

"Leave it. It'll take longer to heal if you mess with it."

"Thank you _doctor_. And there was I thinking I was the older one of us. Clearly I was mistaken." He closed his eyes, tugging his arms around himself to retain heat as the bitingly cold rock leeched the warmth from his body.

There was a heavy sigh from Kili and he felt his brother haul himself to his feet, heard him patter quietly across the room. Then a thick warmth draped over him and he cracked his eyes open wearily to see Kili covering him with a heavy woollen blanket, most likely that which up until now had covered his bed.

He tried to protest, but the sudden warmth had rendered him mute, not to mention incredibly comfortable. He rested his head on his knees drowsily as Kili fussed with the edges of the blanket.

"I haven't been tucked in for more than a decade." He slurred tiredly. "And never by you."

The younger dwarf rolled his eyes, settling down stiffly next to his exhausted brother.

"Just go to sleep, Fili." He resumed fletching, tugging a small measure of the blanket over his outstretched legs to ward off the cold.

As the pile of arrows grew ever larger, a heavy weight began to rest against his shoulder as Fili gradually descended into sleep.

An hour later, there was a short, sharp knock on the door.

**Thanks for reading. I'm happy to take fic requests from anyone interested. Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope you all had a good Christmas, here's the next instalment of **_**Far from Home**_** – Things will start to speed up a bit soon and we'll have a lovely bit of angst for you all. **

**Chapter Two**

Curiously, Kili pulled the door open, as quietly as possible so as not to wake the sleeping form propped against the wall.

To his surprise and confusion, it was his Uncle, looking as composed as ever – but there was a fire in his eyes – a feverish brightness that usually only returned to his eyes when he spoke of memories or told Kili tales of their ancestors and the homeland that was torn from them.

"Uncle?"

"Is your brother here?" Thorin seemed rushed and almost flustered, despite the calm exterior; something Kili had never seen before in his normally reserved Uncle.

"Sleeping." He answered, trying to hide the worry in his voice. "His shoulder still bothers him."

Evidently he had not managed it, as his Uncle clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about your brother. The pair of you have Durin's blood in your veins. You'll be alright."

Unconvinced, Kili brushed the matter aside for now.

"What's happening, Uncle?"

Thorin sighed, "I have word from Gandalf-"

"The wizard?!" Kili interrupted enthusiastically, his excitement getting the better of him.

"Aye, the wizard. He believes there may be a way to reclaim Erebor for our own. Think of it, Kili – no more of this Blue Mountain 'hospitality'. A home of our own, after a hundred years in exile! The splendour of the lonely mountain restored to its former glory!"

"But what of the dragon, Uncle?"

His Uncle's face darkened, "The dragon has not been seen or heard of in those parts in five decades. It may well be that it has simply lived out its extended and vindictive lifespan."

Kili didn't dare contradict him, having experienced Thorin's wrath upon many occasions in his younger years.

"So what will you do?" He asked instead, hoping the danger had passed.

"I must meet with Gandalf in the village of Bree, just past the land of the Halflings. From there, if we deem there is enough evidence, I must meet with Dain and we will send a team to investigate the mountain. I need to send word to the Iron Hills and to those remaining of our kin to make for the meeting, where we can decide who is most apt to continue this task."

"What of Fili and myself? Should we prepare to travel?" Excitement coursed through him at the thought of leaving the rocky tombs of the Blue Mountains behind them.

But Thorin's laugh was loud and hearty as he stared at his nephew. "By the glory of Aule! The two of you are barely out of childhood! The dwarves I seek will be seasoned warriors – Troll hunters, Orc slayers, not adolescents! Not to mention that neither of you have recovered from your last little escapade yet."

Kili fumed silently before his Uncle, desperately unwilling to remain cooped up in the stone prison while Thorin disappeared to chase dragons – dragons! Killing Orcs and Wargs and Trolls!

Trying to swallow back the bitter disappointment without snapping at his Uncle, he nodded quickly, retreating back into the room. He barely managed to avoid slamming the heavy door, slumping down moodily beside his still sleeping older brother.

Drumming his fingers restlessly on the wall, he was torn between shaking Fili awake to tell him the news, and letting his brother sleep. As the choice warred within him, impulsivity reigned and he tapped Fili awake with irritation.

"Is he out of his mind?" It had definitely been a bad idea to wake up Fili, he decided five minutes later.

"I think so." He muttered gloomily in reply.

"Just because a dragon hasn't been seen for half a century, doesn't mean that it's ceased and desisted! They live for millennia! And what will he have them do if they find the dragon is alive and kicking? What chance do a group of warrior dwarves have against a real life, fire breathing dragon?" Fili was almost breathing steam, more upset than Kili had seen him in ages.

He paused. "What about us?" his brother asked tentatively.

"We have to stay here to be babysat by our wonderful hosts, like dwarflings."

Fili groaned loudly, "I'm not spending another month being glared at by those judgemental Blue sons of-"

"Fili!"

"You know what they're like, Kili! They reject anything that hasn't been tradition for half a millennia or more! They despise us, insult us, force our people to live in slums and survive off rats if we cannot make ends meet. Our people can't stay here any longer, and neither can we!"

"Well why don't we go to the meeting?" He crossed his fingers tightly behind his back.

"What?" Fili just looked bemused.

Well it wasn't an outright no. It was worth a chance.

"We've obviously outstayed our welcome here. Neither of us wants to be here any longer – and Uncle has trained us to fight to the best of his ability – doesn't that stand for something? Maybe we're not seasoned warriors yet, but are we ever going to get the chance to do so if we just stay here and rot?"

"How long have you been rehearsing that speech in your head?" Amusement was written across his brother's face.

"I haven't!" he tried to look innocent, but unfortunately his older brother had always been able to see right through him.

"Right and I'm an elf."

"Well alright, but you don't like being cooped up here anymore than I have. Why can't we go outside? It's not as though we're dwarflings anymore, for Aüle's sake!"

Fili sighed. "Look I can't deny anything you've said. And you are right about this whole situation, but do we really need to volunteer for some suicide mission just in order to get some fresh air?"

Fidgeting anxiously, Kili tried to resist the urge to pace, the overwhelming urge to escape the stone jaws of the Blue Mountains crawling in his blood.

"But, we don't have to even go to the meeting! We could just go out riding – or, or walking!" he amended hastily, remembering what had happened last time they'd left on horseback.

"Anything to get out of this claustrophobic hole!" he finished desperately, his eyes pleading.

Fili sighed heavily. "Fine."

Kili barely managed to suppress the urge to leap with joy, settling for a small yell of delight that was no more mature for a dwarf just out of adolescence than the former option.

"You are incorrigible."

"Yep."

**Thanks for reading, please review if you liked, loved or hated it. The next update will be asap!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again, sorry for my long absence! Had a few family problems that are hopefully resolved now, but the show must go on! Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!**

"You mean you didn't even bring a map?" Exasperation resounded in his brother's voice as they stood in the main entrance of the Blue Mountain stronghold.

"I can't think of everything!" He whispered furiously back, tapping his foot anxiously on the ground. The watch had changed a minute ago, and everything relied on them getting out of the fortress without anyone seeing them and reporting back to Thorin. Guards would be there to resume their posts in seconds and Fili was stalling for time. Kili shifted irritably, glancing up the corridor for the umpteenth time.

"Look we really need to go. We'll just have to do without the map. Someone will be here soon and we really, really need to move before anyone spots us!"

Fili groaned, raking a hand through his hair. "Fine, but if we get lost, it's on your head." He heaved the heavy stone door open with his good shoulder, wincing as the action strained at the still tender flesh on his other.

Kili's voice drifted out after him, "Have faith, brother. I've read Uncle's maps so many times, I must have memorised most of Eriador."

* * *

"Most of Eriador? Most of Eriador! We haven't even left the mountain range left and you're lost!"

"I'm not lost; I'm just trying to get my bearings."

"Admit it, you're lost." Fili shifted his pack tiredly; the weight of his bags already tugging at the bad shoulder. Every step jarred the still raw wound, sapping his strength and making him irritable. Not for the last time, he wished they'd had the gumption to steal horses from their unwilling hosts to pay them back for years of hostility.

"I'm not lost!" Kili ran a hand roughly through his hair in frustration, trying to recall the exact layout of the Blue Mountains. He had been so sure that following the east facing mountain stretch would take them within sight of the Branduin, but after miles and miles of just rocky cliffs and dark holes, he was beginning to suspect he'd had the maps upside down all this time.

He glanced around again wildly, spotting a glint of something in the distance.

"Fili!"

"What?" Guiltily, Kili supposed he should have had the patience to wait a few days, to allow his brother to recover more. Fili had been unusually grumpy and dour this morning, though it could simply have been the getting up just after dawn that had soured his brother's mood.

"I think I can see the Branduin ahead!"

"The what?"

"The Branduin. The Brandywine River. We might not be lost after all."

"Thank the lords! Why are we travelling along the eastern outstretch anyway, little brother? Thorin always plans his routes northwards."

"Yes but northwards takes us a long way off course! Why walk almost forty miles out of our way when we can skirt the eastern stretch? It makes no sense!"

Kili squinted again at the horizon, now certain he could see water in the distance.

"In any case, I think we are actually on the right track. If we walk another eight miles today, I think we can set up camp. We've done at least ten already."

He almost felt his brother sigh with relief beside him, his pack now hanging only on his good shoulder and inwardly tried to recall if he'd packed any healer's herbs in his frantic, admittedly careless attempts to prepare for their journey. He cursed silently as he came up blank.

* * *

Luckily the remainder of the route was downhill, but by the time they set camp it was pitch black and Fili was exhausted. Stubbornness had only gotten him so far and he was dreading what would happen if they were attacked – with one arm useless and the other stiff as a board, he'd be little to no help in a swordfight.

Kili had remained cheerful enough, though from the continuous sideways glances, Fili could tell he hadn't managed to successfully mask just how much pain he was in from his little brother.

And so it was with abject relief that he was able to sling his pack to the ground and collapse beside it as gracefully as a sack of potatoes.

As large brown eyes flickered towards him worriedly, Fili fought the urge to roll his eyes, settling himself as comfortably as possible against the nearest tree, his pack all but abandoned.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine, Kili, I'm fine."

A disbelieving look was sent in his direction and he waved it away tiredly, tugging his travelling cloak over his legs as the chill of the cold ground began to set in.

Unconvinced, Kili began to gather wood for the fire, striking the flint a little more viciously than was necessary. He was at a loss. His brother's health – or lack thereof – made him feel tense and vulnerable and Fili's stubborn refusal to do anything other than ignore his injury wasn't helping.

He paced anxiously for the best part of twenty seconds, before dropping like a stone beside his brother, staring out warily into the now tarry blackness that engulfed them.

No stars, no moonlight – just the dim light cast by the flickering fire over their still forms as they huddled as close to the glowing flames as they dared.

A rustling noise stirred beyond the edge of their camp and Kili whipped his head around, straining to see in the dark.

There was nothing.

Perturbed, he pulled his cloak tighter around himself, remembering briefly how much more he'd enjoyed journeying with the indisputably intimidating presence of his uncle to chase away the creatures of the dark.

The dark seemed a lot closer, the creatures in it a lot more terrifying without his stern uncle there.

Something cracked again in the overgrowth, louder and closer. Panic flooded through his veins, though for all he knew, it could simply be a rabbit.

His heart thudded in his chest and he was tempted to shake Fili awake to make him explain the unwelcome noises, but his brother looked peaceful for the first time in weeks and he hadn't the heart to wake him.

Instead, he settled for curling his fingers into the lining of his cloak, shuffling a little closer to his brother.

He swallowed as silence fell suddenly, the absence of noise somewhat more unpleasant than its presence. He strained his ears, listening, listening.

Tense and worried, he sat, still as the grave, before there was a sudden impact on his neck – as if someone had thrown a stone and startled, he reached up to touch the area.

Full blown panic seized him as his fingers found something thin and twig-like protruding from the offending area and with horrified curiosity, he plucked it from his flesh, grunting in pain as it left his neck with a horrible noise.

It was a dart.

Pale and slender, it was like nothing he'd ever seen before – it was made of bone, it was made of bone! A thin black ooze slathered his fingers as it dripped from the hollow of the dart and it was taking all his strength not to scream or panic, because whatever was in it would only circulate faster if he panicked.

What was it? Poison?

Anxiously, he shook Fili, trying not to move too much as he felt an odd wooziness settle into his bones.

"Fili!"

His brother sprang awake in seconds, his eyes bleary and confused as he strained to focus on the dart.

"Did it- Oh gods, did that hit you?"

He managed to nod as slowly as possible, his vision now started to blur and he wondered if he was dying as he pitched sideways into Fili's lap. He couldn't move, his muscles as weak as the stalks of grass that grew beneath him.

Panicking now, he lay uselessly, limp as a boned fish, unable to struggle. Breathing had become difficult, vision impossibly blurred and his whole body trapped in some spell of paralysis.

Blackness took him and wondered if he would ever wake again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, it is lovely to hear what you think of the story :) Here's another chapter for you, please review! x**

When Fili awoke, it was to disorientation and a thick, inky blackness that clogged his senses. A searing fire tore through his shoulder as he shifted awkwardly and suddenly pain erupted throughout his shoulders and arms, as if a firework had been set off inside his upper torso.

Unable to move, he found a great pressure upon his eyes – a blindfold – but without the use of his hands, he could not remove it.

He fidgeted uncomfortably, wondering where on earth he was. The pain in his hands alone was phenomenal and he couldn't for the life of him explain why.

There was an inexplicably intense pressure on his arms and hands. Unable to fathom this new mystery, his thoughts turned suddenly to his brother and panic flooded his mind with terrifying uncertainties.

"Kili?" His voice was barely a croak.

There was no response from the blackness.

He tried again, calling until his voice became hoarse and silent, but no answer came from the dark. Tendrils of fear clutched at his heart and he struggled uselessly, caught tighter than a rabbit in a snare. His legs scraped the floor uselessly as he thrashed, desperate and frightened in the dark.

Then something heavy and blunt collided with his skull and he succumbed to unconsciousness again.

* * *

Kili came to abruptly, an emaciated face so close to his that he scrambled backwards with a startled yelp, his heart thudding like a drum as he stared in morbid fascination at the creature before him.

Of humanoid form, it bared little other resemblance to the men he'd seen as a child. Long, withered limbs protruded from a frame so scrawny even the ravens would have difficulty picking flesh from its bones. Hunched and folded as it was, the creature still towered over him and he shrank timidly as pale, bulbous eyes appraised him.

Dark, lank hair fell limply over bony protrusions that were hopefully shoulders, whilst yellow fang-like teeth overhung grey lips in a gaunt, sunken face.

It was the most horrific and peculiar thing he had ever seen and it was staring right at him, unblinking, unmoving.

He scanned his prison anxiously, taking in with a sinking feeling the rocky walls and earthy ground beneath his fingertips.

He was underground.

Being underground had never scared him before, but then again before he'd always been surrounded by other dwarves, even if they were hostile and unpleasant.

The walls rose sharply, with seemingly no exit, until he craned his neck to realise that he was in a fairly deep pit, with no obvious way of climbing out.

It took another long second of frantically scanning the pit to realise that he was alone. His brother was missing and the thought petrified him. All his life there had been someone else there – someone older or stronger, or a little bit braver – and now he was alone with this creature in the gloom of some underground cave to whatever end it intended.

A chattering noise sounded at the top of the pit – an inane, strange noise that sounded more like a gargle than speech – and another scrawny being poked its head over the edge. The one in the pit hissed in reply and Kili backed further away against the rocky wall, pressing himself into the cold stone with a shudder.

Then, to his relief, it withdrew, expunging the small candle as it went, climbing the wall of the pit like a squirrel in the gloom.

The darkness bothered him more than being underground, if he was being truthful. He wrapped his arms around himself, pressing his hands against his eyes as if he could block out the darkness surrounding him.

It was suffocating him. It took all his willpower not to hyperventilate there and then, but his breathing was becoming more rapid and it felt as if there was a great weight on his chest, crushing him into the dry earth. Without his older brother to calm him down, the darkness was oppressing and it was impossible to distract himself.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe and he was lost in the compressing, crushing dark, unable to see or hear or breathe. He wanted his brother.

He shivered miserably, having pushed himself tightly into the corner of the pit, pressing down on his eyes until he could see patterns on his eyelids, but the dread had settled in his bones and there was nothing to distract himself with but his own fear.

* * *

Fili woke to blood-curdling screams in the distance that echoed horribly in the confined space of his underground prison.

He yelled in reply, hoping desperately that it wasn't Kili screaming. Shaking his head violently, he managed to use the rock wall behind him to drag the blindfold down over his nose, finding himself in a pale, gloomy chamber, hewn from rock.

He was bound to the wall by his wrists and his hands were – oh gods his hands! The wave of nausea that rushed through him had him lunging forward against his bonds to retch over the earthen floor. The violent motion sent sharp spirals of pain up through his arms to ricochet into his mutilated hands.

It took one glance to discern exactly what had been holding him upright all night.

What looked like the rock pegs they used in the Blue Mountains when mining – thick iron pegs – had been hammered straight through the palms of his hands while he'd been asleep – thank Aüle he'd been unconscious.

No wonder his hands had been throbbing so painfully. The wounds still wept sluggishly, but thankfully the flow of blood had almost abated. He shivered, the cold of the cave seeping into him like water and he had no way of warming himself without the use of his hands – something he was determined not to look at.

Once again his thoughts turned to Kili, hoping beyond hope that his brother was unharmed and safe.

Whoever or whatever was holding them had not yet appeared and their motives were obviously sinister.

Silently, he closed his eyes and prayed.


	5. Chapter 5

**And here's the next chapter... Please review, I would love to know what you think of this story and it all helps :)**

Fili had been hanging in the dark for longer than he'd been able to count; disorientation having rendered him senseless to the passing of time in the intense blackness that choked him.

An odd scent of burning lingered in the air – like cooked meat, but different. The acrid taste of the smoke lingered in his mouth and he resisted the urge to spit.

As the silence grew heavy about his ears, it was with some alarm and no small amount of apprehension that he heard a low, guttural growl echo through the small cell.

If he had been able to, he might have drawn himself up, tense and silent and prepared to face this new terror, but bound to the rocky wall of prison he could little more than press himself into the rough surface and attempt to stay calm, his heart treacherously beating loud enough to wake a sleeping bear and his teeth chattering from cold and panic.

Twisting his head in the gloom, he tested his restraints while trying to make out the other inhabitant of the room. He could see nothing in the gloom and the rumbling growl emanated around the cavern, bouncing off every available surface until it was almost impossible to distinguish which direction it had come from.

Unwilling to admit he was pretty scared by this point, he gritted his teeth, trying to stare down whatever watched him with as much composure as possible.

With some effort, he managed to force his breathing under control, his chest heaving with the effort as he scanned the room furiously, looking for signs of movement.

Then there was a scuffling noise to his left and a cackling laugh; he spun his head so fast his neck cracked audibly, nearly splitting his skull on the jagged wall behind him.

Then, a glint of light reflected in large round eyes that were focused on his face, not five paces away. The closeness made him jump and he smacked his head on the rocks behind, cursing in dwarvish and the common tongue.

The eyes blinked, bulging and wide, irises almost transparent. It shuffled a little closer, but still he could not make out what it was. No wild beast, for certain – it would have torn him apart by now. Curiosity now outweighed the fear and he stared at the creature, trying to determine its origin.

It made a strange sound – something that sounded half way between a hiss and a gurgle – and he realised the creature was talking. Talking in broken Westron.

Freshly bewildered, he craned his head to stare at it, of the little he could see in the dim light. It was tall for one thing – it was almost as tall as he was when crouched, but its presence was not immediately threatening.

Summoning his courage, he swallowed, trying to remember all his lessons in the common tongue. The dwarves of Erebor had only spoken _Khuzdul _ but his Uncle had insisted he and Kili be familiar with Westron as well.

Now he was glad for it.

"_You speak Westron_?" he asked the strange beast, wondering that it was only a few days ago that he'd been confined in the Blue Mountains, and now here he was, trapped in a cave, conversing with odd beings in foreign languages.

The creature cocked its head on one side as if thinking.

"_Not...our language, but some...some of us speak_." The words came out sounding odd – like when he and Kili had attempted to learn _Sildarin_ to annoy their Uncle and were unable to pronounce parts of the strange looking script.

"_Wha-Who are you_?"

"_Cave_ _folk. Not many dwarf in these parts_."

This was surreal. It was utterly bizarre and he still had no idea why he was here.

Shifting slightly, he ached to be able to change position, his shoulder and arms burning in the uncomfortable position. His hands were almost numb now, a bad sign, he knew. They felt hot and swollen, blood throbbing though his battered palms. He was almost certain they were infected and worries plagued him – his Uncle's stories of septicaemia and gangrene that could claim a dwarven warrior's foot or arm rising unbidden in his mind.

He needed to be able to hold a sword, or at least to have full use of his hands – how could he work the forge with one hand – or worse, no hands?

That was assuming he could get out of here alive.

If the creature wasn't malicious, then what had caused the screaming earlier? Why was he here and where was his brother?

"_Why am I here_?" He asked in Westron, "_Why am I a... a prisoner_?"

The creature's eyes shifted. It began to withdraw slightly, avoiding his gaze.

"_Many folk here."_

"_For what purpose_?" he responded, concern growing in the pit of his stomach.

"_Dwarves, humans eat deer, cattle_."

Now utterly bemused, Fili raised his eyebrows.

"_And?"_

"_No animals in mountains. No deer_."

A sudden, horrible realisation began to set in. Feeling sick, he recalled the screams from earlier and the peculiar burning smell that had drifted through the underground caverns to his cell.

They hadn't been captured by orcs, goblins or even men. They hadn't been captured as slaves or for some other sinister purpose.

They had been captured for food. To be butchered and consumed by the starving cave dwellers. The urge to vomit was uncontrollable and he retched up bile, violently straining his injured shoulder and sending angry tendrils of agony spinning through his arms to his throbbing palms.

The creature backed off to the mouth of the small cavern, an almost apologetic expression on suddenly visible features.

Like a man, but not. A ruined, hunched wreck of a man – as if a normal man had been disassembled and put back together by someone who had never seen one. Thinner than anything he'd ever seen, with a permanent hunger etched across its emaciated, grey face.

He shuddered, tipping his head back against the cool rock and fell still and silent until the creature scuttled out of sight.

Then, when there was no-one left to hear or see him, he broke down into hot, heavy sobs that wracked his frame until he was shaking so hard it appeared as if he were having a seizure.

Glancing up at the cave ceiling as tears poured over his exhausted features, he prayed to Aüle that his brother's fate was swift and painless and that for the love of the gods he didn't find out what was to happen to him when the cave folk grew hungry.

**Please Review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! Thank you to my loyal reviewers for all your support and comments.**

**Thanks especially to _Estoma_ in particular, for all your feedback. You are right, although it was unintentional that they appeared like Gollum, I just got carried away going on about them being thin and pale and suddenly they morphed into these cave dwelling creatures and bam! **

**Also - IMPORTANT NOTE - I've just started a Hobbit Fanfic Challenge community in the forums. It's for anyone interested in creating or partaking in challenges and/or requesting fanfiction they'd like to see written, so hop on over if you're interested, as it's always good fun.**

* * *

Time whirred away as he hung there, head bowed. He was aware of a gnawing hunger in his gut, but over time it faded to an emptiness that drained him.

He was woozy and tired, the infection in his hands spreading poison about his body, leeching his energy and sapping his strength.

There would be no rescue. His Uncle would not even know they were missing until he returned, and that would be a moon or more and by then they would be no more than bare bones, flesh stripped away by starving mouths and yellowed teeth.

The line of Durin would be heirless. He had squandered his mother's sacrifice to go out adventuring and in doing so had doomed himself and his brother.

Fili tensed suddenly as fresh screams tore through the bowels of the cave, pleading in the common tongue with its captors. To his relief, the voice was too low to be Kili's – perhaps that of an older man. Pity filled him as a dull thud echoed through, the screams suddenly silenced in one swift motion.

He shuddered, trying not to imagine his own fate, a great slab of rock raised above his skull and then darkness, brains, blood and bone marrow spewing across the rock floor.

He was dizzy. Blood loss and hunger had weakened him, but the growing infection had set down tendrils, eating away at him. He rested his head carefully against the wall, his shoulders in agony from what could only be days and days of being forced into one position.

There was a dull buzz of growling and pattering feet outside his cell as the cave folk gathered to eat. A chattering gurgle of noise accompanied by a splintering, cracking noise as the body was torn apart and the familiar smell of burning returned, sickly sweet and smouldering.

The smoke filled the cavern, having nowhere to go but linger. Surrounding him, gagging him, choking him with the smell of burning human flesh. Distantly, he wondered if there would be any taste difference between a man and a dwarf and if the cave folk would care.

* * *

Time passed in droves, sometimes fast, others slow, as he drifted in and out of consciousness, hallucinating burning flesh and gnashing teeth until he was woken suddenly by cries and yells.

Someone was calling for him, but who?

A scream and he was jolted awake, recognising the sound of Kili's voice in a terrified, panicked instant. He strained against his bonds, his hands protesting in agony as the pegs caught on the raw, open wounds.

He bit down hard on his lip until blood trickled down his chin, trying to get free and nearly passing out as a wave of intense pain wracked his exhausted frame, nausea and dizziness speeding through him like a galloping horse.

Kili screamed again, nearer this time and he sobbed in desperation, tearing at his bonds, but the pegs held tight.

With a great tug, he tore himself from the wall, drawing the pegs out of their hammer driven homes, still embedded in his tattered flesh, trying to bite back the scream of agony that tore through him. He dropped to his knees, ripping the pegs from his hands with trembling, twitching fingers swollen with infection.

He forced himself to stand, using the cave wall as a crutch as he dragged his battered body in the direction of the screams.

He was out of the cell, heaving himself towards his brother. As of yet he had seen no cave folk, perchance resting, but as he made his way upwards, a disembodied voice wrapped itself around him and a weak voice cried for help in Westron.

Startled and desperate, he nearly leapt out of his skin, almost saving his captors a job. Whipping his head around, he was torn between his two paths, briefly turning from his own to find the owner of the voice.

He could not leave another soul to die in here, but his brother was his priority. Agonising, he rounded the corner, finding himself in another small cavern, crudely hewn from the rock. A dead end. Cursing, he was about to turn back when the voice cried again in the common tongue, pleading with him.

A man, similarly bound as he to the rocky wall, his hands staked and arms bound. He too was skeletal, his hair once a deep red, now hung limply about his shoulders and his eyes were wide with fear.

Running a hand through his hair in frantic desperation, he all but tore the iron pegs from the man's hands, tearing his bonds away like parchment.

Then, spinning on his heel, he turned back to find his brother, praying that he wasn't too late, not caring that the man had followed him.

Another cry. He was coming! He was sprinting down the dank cavern in the pitch dark, following his ears as he clung to the desperate hope he'd be there in time.

* * *

Kili woke upside down, his head being repeatedly knocked against something hard and jagged. Panicking and utterly bemused, he cried out, thrashing wildly, as he realised that the creatures were dragging him out of the pit.

The creature snarled, fangs glinting and he cowered, allowing himself to be hauled out of his prison into the upper caverns.

Trying to keep calm, he wondered where the creatures were taking him, desperately hoping that Fili was unharmed wherever he was. He bit down on his lip, trying to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would tell him where they were going.

Then, a great empty cavern opened out from the narrow passage and his heart fell.

There in the centre, was a great slab of rock – not something that would have normally disturbed him, but the nature of its use could not be any clearer as he took in the blood red smears that coated its surface. Small fragments of bone littered the ground, carelessly tossed aside once the marrow had been sucked away.

Small torches lit the cavern, burning on their plinths and he panicked in the flickering light. If he was going to die, he wanted to die in battle, Aüle curse it, in glory; not by being gnawed to pieces by hungry beasts.

They were dragging him now, closer and closer and the panic that had frozen him initially had him screaming and yelling, fighting the tight grips of the tall, bony creatures as he cried out for Fili, for anyone that could help him, for someone to help, _please_.

For the love of Aüle, please not now. He had things he wanted to do, he had to make his Uncle proud of him, he had to prove to Fili that he was no longer a child, he wanted to become a warrior, a father, a great dwarf worthy of the line of Durin and he could do none of that if his head were shattered to pieces and his flesh eaten.

He struggled and fought, but there were too many of them and they manhandled him, dragged him, carried him to the plinth, pinning him down by his wrists and ankles – he thrashed and kicked, snarling and yelling at the top of his voice, twisting like a wild beast to free himself, but it was to no avail.

The rock was raised above his head and he swallowed, trying not to spend the last moments of his life in tears. He forced his eyes closed, clenching his fists as he waited for the impact.

* * *

**Please Review :) Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again, here's the next update. Thank you to everybody who has loyally followed and reviewed this story all along. Please let me know what you think!**

His lungs were burning, muscles screaming after days of inactivity and starvation. Breathing felt like the air had turned to molten rock, his heart thudding painfully in his chest, but still he forced onwards, sprinting towards the source of the noise, towards his brother.

Light beckoned ahead and spurred on, he found a new, desperate strength that pulsed through his veins like fire, throwing himself forwards with rapidly dwindling vigour.

Then the narrow passage opened up and there he was, pinned down on a great, blood-soaked stone slab by four of the foul things and his blood roared within him.

Not pausing to breathe, he dashed forwards, revealing himself in his pure, unadulterated fury, rage and terror driving him forward across the great cavern.

Time slowed, every breath seemed to last a lifetime as he watched the creature raise a large, heavy stone, crimson with chronic use – his brother's terrified expression, eyes screwed shut, the leering of the hungry beasts, the ravenous glee in the eyes of the one who held the stone.

And just as suddenly, it resumed normal service and he was tumbling forward with a furious yell, sending the rock-bearing creature crumpling to the ground with a heavy thud, the rock smashing into the stone floor, sending rippling echoes spiralling around the large space.

Having tackled the vile thing to the ground, it struggled beneath him, strength superior to his, despite its thin frame. Larger and in better health, it thrashed angrily, nearly sending him flying. Then, quick as an arrow flight, he was thrown backwards onto the rock floor, knocking his head.

Dazed, he scrabbled desperately around him for something to use as a weapon, the creature advancing dangerously quickly. His vision blurred and the creature was on top of him, bony fingers squeezing the life out of him, crushing his throat with a famished excitement and he was struggling in terror, fingers clawing the rock for something, anything – his outstretched hands clutched at something long and slender, with a vicious point.

No idea what it was, he gripped it tightly, gasping for breath as he wheezed.

With a swift, frantic movement, he thrust it upwards, eyes bulging with the pressure on his throat.

He felt resistance, felt it slice through skin and sinewy muscle, heard the scream and agonised shriek of the beast above him and forced upwards with the last of his strength.

The hands about his throat slacked and the beast tumbled atop him, writhing as blood poured from its abdomen. He threw it off him, still gasping for breath, his eyes searching wildly for his brother.

* * *

Kili had braced himself for the impact, for the blackness to come, for the end. Terror swam through him, the desperate anticipation of what was to come as he lay helpless and restrained on the cold rock.

The icy chill seeped into his bones and he could not think of a more uncomfortable way to spend his final seconds alive, bitterly bemoaning his impulsive decision to leave home. His Uncle had been right. He was reckless, hasty, careless. He had led himself and his brother to their deaths, and now the time had come, he was a trembling coward.

It was a miserable last thought, he considered, as he waited for the rock to fall.

There was a clatter, muffled yells, a loud thud and a tremulous, unending echo that rattled through his bones. The grips on his limbs were suddenly released and a cacophony of snarls and hisses in the air.

He dared to open his eyes.

A strange, red haired man fought two beasts at once, his savage blows sending the first creature sprawling backwards. He swept his gaze around to see his brother struggling with another, straddling the beast and hitting it with a desperate fury and he and never been so pleased to see him in all his life.

The fourth beast eyed him warily, snatching at him suddenly and he lashed out, kicking it angrily in the chest with all of his strength, launching himself at it, fresh determination lending him vigour and might. He gripped its skeletal head between both hands, smashing it down on the rocky floor with satisfaction.

Watching the eyes fall out of focus and not caring whether it was stunned or dead, he kicked the beast, turning to help his brother's companion.

He watched, a little in awe as the thin man snapped the first creature's neck, sending the other sprawling with a weighty punch.

Sensing something he could do, he dispatched the dazed second beast with a boot to the throat, glancing over at his previous opponent to check it was still out of it.

Satisfied, he nodded appreciatively at the red haired man before turning to find his brother still struggling with his opponent, skeletal hands wrapped around his throat and he could only watch in horror, frozen to the spot as his brother choked for air.

Fili's face was contorted into intense concentration as he fumbled around him for something and then in a split second, there was an implement in the creature's ribs and it was shrieking and howling horribly.

It fell still and he watched, relieved as he brother pushed the vile thing away, pushing himself up with what looked like a great deal of effort, still wheezing as he touched a hand to his rapidly bruising throat.

He rushed to his brother's side "Fili!"

* * *

Fili lurched to his feet, his breathing finally under control as Kili launched himself at him. Relief flooded him at the realisation that his little brother was unharmed, at least physically. Anything else could wait until they'd escaped the underground caves.

Everything hurt, from his aching head, his throbbing shoulder and his burning, swollen hands that screamed from gripping the makeshift weapon.

What exactly had that been? He released Kili from the crushing embrace long enough to glance down at his fallen foe. What appeared to be a shattered shin bone protruding from the creature's gut, the base splintered to create a brutally sharp point.

The urge to laugh was overwhelming, but his strength was dissipating rapidly and he needed to get his brother out of the caves.

He turned to glance at his red-haired companion as the man glanced around the cavern, examining the passageways that led out of it.

Apparently satisfied, their companion beckoned him over. Now that he had the chance to do so, he briefly appraised the man, noting he was broad of stature – perhaps once muscular, but starvation had caused his frame to waste. Not tall for a man, but taller than he by at least a head and a half, their companion was in his prime, not old but no youth either. His face displayed his years, eyes hooded and sunken from his imprisonment.

As they glanced up the passageway, a slight breeze tugged at his braids. He nodded at the man, signalling for them to move upwards, when the pattering of feet sounded not far away, perhaps aroused by the clatter.

He pushed Kili into the passage and they started upwards, hearing cries of dismay and snarls of fury emanating behind them as the creatures discovered their fallen kin.

Heart thudding in his chest, Fili started to sprint, hearing the echoing footfalls grower louder and louder behind them, resonating through the passage in a cacophony of sound that spurred them ever onwards and upwards, following the twists and turns of the cavern and all the while, praying to find the way out.

Suddenly, the passage came to an abrupt halt and terror rose in his throat as he cast around wildly for another passage or an exit, but there was nothing, no openings or corridors or rooms, just a dead end, an oddly appropriate word considering what was following them up the passage, hungry and full of anger in their chase.

His heart sank and pulling Kili behind him, he and the red-haired man prepared to fight once more.

**Another Cliffhanger! Please don't hate me... **


	8. Chapter 8

**Oh dear lord this is late. I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday but I was snowed under with work, silly thing. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers for your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The heavy drumming of footsteps drew ever closer and Fili clenched his fists, cursing ill-fortune and cave folk with heightened senses but a startling inability to build coherent passageways.

Wearily, he drew himself up, feeling the pain in his hands as if the pegs were still there, biting and tearing at shredded, raw flesh. The cold tugged at him and he shuddered, feeling every single wound jar with the movement. How long would he last in a fight? How much longer would he even be able to stand? The rush that had accompanied the thoughts of freedom was fading, slipping between his fingers like sand.

He swayed on his feet, hearing the footsteps louder, louder, the angry snarls, the fervent hissing, the overpowering sense of dread that threatened to swallow him whole.

How could he protect his brother from this? He had failed him. He had failed them both.

There was a tugging on his arm.

His vision was starting to blur. There were voices behind him, hurried, urgent, but they were starting to blend with the drumming, the hissing, the snarling, the drone that all three combined into as they lanced though his skull.

The voice again.

He snapped back.

Kili was pulling him, half-dragging him. The sound was almost upon them and Kili was gesturing at the ceiling, beckoning frantically.

A trapdoor.

Of course. Why hadn't he looked upwards? Cursing himself, he blinked back the blurry wave that assaulted his senses, forcing himself to hold on just a little longer before he could rest.

He pushed Kili forwards, watching as their human companion forced open the trapdoor and then suddenly they were blinded, bright light searing through the small space, scorching the stark sunlight into their vision.

Up, up, up into the brightness, shielding eyes with arms and stumbling out, out, out into the world above, like bees released from a hive, or a caterpillar from a cocoon.

Their eyes adjusted gradually and the clamour below roused them from their stupor. Cries of anger and snarls of dismay erupted from the cavern below as the nocturnal beasts discovered the escape of their prey and made their fury known.

The creatures despised daylight, but Fili was taking no chances. Ploughing onward with the last of a desperate, relieved spur of energy, he forced them onwards, stumbling through the unfamiliar terrain as if wargs dogged their every footstep.

* * *

Each step dragged on him as if he were carrying a thousand rocks. The adrenalin had faded, the only thing that had kept him going for the past week or so was dissipating like the mist that often clung to the mountains they called home. Even breathing had become exhausting, his chest aching with the effort, lungs burning, air searing his mouth and lips as he drew it in.

His brother was not in immediate danger – of being eaten, kidnapped or killed. They were far enough distance from the cave folk to stop safely.

He stopped abruptly, the world spinning before him like the wheel of a cart. He swayed and was dimly aware of Kili grabbing at his arm, vaguely aware of panicked voices and flashes of light and colour wheeling across his vision as he faded into the darkness.

* * *

Kili was buzzing. He was exhausted, aching, horrified, but his veins were burning with energy, his muscles brimming with fervour, his mind scorching with the thrill of escaping with their lives.

At first his brother had been powering ahead like a plough horse, but with every step he seemed to become more and more tired, as if his boots were laden with lead. Initially, he'd put it down simply to exhaustion and days of imprisonment, but there was something wrong.

He was walking oddly, almost slumped to one side. He was slowing rapidly.

Then, suddenly he'd just stopped and swayed like a leaf in the breeze. Concern bubbled through his chest and he'd reached to grab his brother's arm to steady him, but found him tumbling into his grasp as he struggled to balance Fili's sudden deadweight.

Terror tore through him as he cradled his brother's head in his lap, turning panicked eyes to their human companion as he visually searched his brother for injuries.

The red haired man knelt beside Fili, his face sombre as he discovered the mutilated palms, turning them up to the light for Kili's attention.

He nearly passed out. How his brother had managed to keep them a secret for so long horrified him, as he stared at the viciously swollen wounds, pus leaking like water from the raw flesh, blood oozing, muscle peeking through the torn skin.

The next impulse was to vomit, an action he marginally manage to avoid, instead cursing at the top of his lungs in Khuzdul at his brother and the vile cruelty of their captors. How had Fili managed to keep them secret for so long? How had he managed to fight, to escape with such badly mangled hands?

"_We need to treat them_." The man rumbled, drawing him out of his daze and he nodded shakily.

"_I know nothing about healing_." Suddenly ashamed that he had ventured on such a journey so unprepared, he ducked his head. Fili knew how to treat wounds, why had he allowed himself to get into such a state?

"_Do you know Athelas? The herb?"_

The word was foreign and unfamiliar. He shook his head, feeling desperation rise in his throat, tears pricking at the side of his eyes, hot and heavy. He forced them back, swallowing the lump in his throat. He was no child, Aüle curse it!

"_It's a plant with long, thin leaves, white flowers. I need just the leaves_."

He nodded unsteadily, forcing his eyes away from Fili, from his mutilated hands, from the urge to pass out that swarmed him whenever he glance over, from the terrible nagging thought that drilled in his brain like a woodpecker, screaming _your fault, your fault, your fault._

At first he found nothing and panicking, he pushed onwards, eyes straining for white flowers and thin leaves, thin leaves and white flowers, white flowers and thin- there!

With two fistfuls of the long, slender leaves, he returned to the man, his eyes drawn to his brother's ashen skin, his face pale, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his brow as sepsis took control of his body.

He watched in a daze as the man crushed them with a rock, grinding them almost to a paste, before smearing the concoction onto his brother's wounds with a grim expression.

"_Wh-what does that do_?" He asked timidly.

"_Hopefully, it will draw out the poison of the infection. Then the wounds can begin to heal_." Kili watched carefully as the man bound his brother's hands and wrists with the closest thing they had to bandages – a vaguely clean scarf – not ideal, but it was the only thing available since everything had been taken by the cave folk.

"_Will he be alright_?" He asked tremulously, pulling his brother's head into his lap once more, carding a hand gently through the damp hair.

"Only the gods will decide." The man said finally, his expression weary. "We've done all we can for him."

Casting his eyes skyward, he sent a desperate prayer to the heavens.

_Please don't take him yet. Not yet_.

**Please Review **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my lovelies, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

He managed to start a fire, though his hands were shaking as he struck the shards of flint, sending sparks flying everywhere, almost setting his cloak alight.

"_Careful, careful_." The man warned him, "_Last thing we need is you setting yourself on fire. My burn salve is stuck in that godforsaken place, along with the rest of my pack_."

Kili fed twigs to the small flames, watching the shadows flicker across Fili's unconscious form. His brother had not stirred since they'd treated his wounds, and a fever had crept in, his forehead burning, skin flushed. He had not moved at all, not woken, not spoken. Nothing.

He poked the fire, anxious and agitated, scowling at the prone form beside him. And all the while, his gaze flickered restlessly between the fire, Fili and their human companion.

"_How did you come to be captured_?" He asked curiously, desperate for distraction.

The man scowled suddenly, his face cast into shadow as the dark eyes turned stormy and Kili found himself immediately intimidated, bowing his head.

"_It doesn't ma_-" he began, but he was cut off abruptly as the man began to speak.

"_A moon ago, my son was travelling through these parts. Young, a few weeks over twenty. He disappeared on his way to meet me north of the Brandywine. I went looking for him_."

His face darkened.

"I_ found a campsite. The remains of his horse. Butchered_." He spat, "_With no sign of orcs in the area, I made camp and waited til daylight when I could distinguish more from the prints, but before morning could come, I was ambushed by those godforsaken beasts. They'd slaughtered him, hacked him to bits and eaten him. Like he was cattle! Like he was a goddam animal! And then they wanted to do the same to me. I'll butcher the sodding lot of them!"_

Raw fury punctured his voice, anguish in his eyes.

"_How do you know that it was them?"_ Kili asked tentatively, curiosity peeking through as pity clutched at his heart.

With a heavy sigh, the man reached inside a pocket on his breeches to produce a handful of small, intricately carved wooden beads.

"_His sister made him an armlet out of beads she made herself. It was meant to be a good luck charm. I found the beads, a few of them, scattered about the chamber where we found you. No chance brought them there. It must have snapped as he struggled. Right before they-" His_ voice broke_._

Feeling horribly guilt for bringing it up, Kili broke eye contact. "_I'm sorry_," He mumbled in Westron, the language becoming easier on his tongue the more he spoke it.

"_Don't be. If your brother hadn't freed me, I'd probably be in their stomachs soon enough_." The man glowered into the fire, the flames casting a gentle glow over the beads in his palm.

"_Get some rest lad. I won't be getting any tonight. I'll wake you if anything changes with your brother_."

He nodded quietly, feeling the sheer exhaustion of the week's excitement hit him like a stone, an oddly appropriate comparison, he considered. There was a fire to drive away the darkness, someone to keep watch and his brother was beside him. He prayed silently to the gods to speed his brother's recovery and cool his fever, tucking his cloak around himself as he settled in for the night.

* * *

He woke in a panic from turbulent dreams of gnashing teeth and splintered bones, watching the great, blood-soaked stone be brought down upon his head as terror ripped him from sleep.

He glanced over at his brother, touching a hand gently to his forehead. To his relief, his skin was cooler to the touch, although still warmer than normal. A quick peek at the dressings on his brother's hands suggested that the swelling had subsided a little.

Hauling himself up, Kili rubbed his eyes furiously, trying to scour the images from his vision. The fire had smouldered to ashes and he squinted blearily at the sunrise as it climbed sleepily over the horizon.

He scanned the camp with blurry eyes, finding their human companion leant up against a tree not ten paces away, staring into the dawn.

He pulled himself to his feet, warily wondering if the man would mind his company as he made his way over, stretching the stiffness out of his aching joints.

"_I'm curious_," The man rumbled, and Kili jumped, not realising that he'd heard him approach, "_What are two young dwarves with almost no survival skills doing this side of the Blue Mountains?_"

He laughed, "_My Uncle's leading a venture to the east. He's gone to a meet with some of our kin and then to see a wizard, Gandalf – I don't know if you've heard of him?_"

"_Aye, my brother owns an inn over in Bree, he tells me he passes through every once in a while. Consorts with strange folk, but wizards will be wizards, or so I'm told_."

"_You know, I don't believe I asked your name_."

"_Aedric. Aedric Butterbur. I'm from Bree myself, I've a forge there_."

"_Kili. My brother is Fili. According to my mother rhyming names are a dwarvish tradition, though it sounds rather ridiculous when we have to introduce ourselves._"

The man chuckled, "_Aye I bet it does."_

Kili shaded his eyes with one hand as he stared out on the horizon.

"_The river isn't far from here_."

Aedric nodded, "_There's an inn on the south bank of the Brandywine half way to Bree. We can stop there for the night before we push on_."

There was a noise behind them – a slight rustle, a crack of twigs and Kili spun around anxiously to see his brother struggling to sit up, eyes searching wildly for him.

Delight and worry warred within him as he almost sprinted over.

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! Here is another chapter with a lot more squee, just to make sure that you get your daily dose. Wouldn't want any of you to get scurvy or anything!**

Consciousness came slowly, painfully. He was cold and aching, his bones steeped in a potent exhaustion, muscles taut and burning as he woke.

Fili opened his eyes slowly, cringing as light scorched through his vision and he blinked tiredly, his eyelids feeling like they were coated in sawdust that scratched his eyes as they flickered open and closed. He took a breath, relieved to find his lungs no longer felt as if they were filled with molten iron.

Where was Kili? He glanced about him cautiously, bemused to see a burnt out fire but no companions. His palms and wrists were wrapped in cloth, the wounds stinging but to a quick glance, no longer infected. The swelling in his wrists had subsided a little as the poison ebbed from his veins.

A little concerned, he attempted to pull himself into a sitting position, regretting it instantly as the world rocked like a boat on the sea, bobbing and swaying as if caught in a strong breeze.

Someone was calling his name in the distance, part worry, part delight, but the voice was faint and his vision heavily blurred. Everything was distant and everything was spinning.

Then, strong hands gripped his face and he was eased back onto the ground, where the world slowly came back to focus. Brown hair and dark eyes floated above him, an anxious voice still talking to him, as if expecting an answer. Too weary to form words, he reached out a tremulous hand towards the face, to reassure himself he wasn't hallucinating, only to have it batted away and held in a vice grip.

It could only be Kili. The boy had a grip like a corpse in rigor mortis and he'd been worse as a dwarfling. Relieved that his brother was safe, and comforted by his presence, he tried his best to weakly squeeze his brother's hand.

Warm hands held his cold ones and he drifted off into a more peaceful sleep.

* * *

He woke suddenly, someone shaking him awake. His first thought was to panic, his eyes wild and anxious, but it seemed there was no cause for alarm.

Happy that he was able to finally focus his own vision, Fili blinked until the clouds across his eyes faded into obscurity.

Kili smiled brightly at him, though his eyes betrayed his concern, "Aedric's managed to get us some horses from a farm up the road. Should make the journey a bit quicker. Do you think you'll be ok to ride?"

Confusion returned quicker than a bird's whistle. "Who's Aedric?"

"The man who escaped with us. Don't you remember?" Worry was suddenly far more visible on his brother's face.

He patted Kili's arm reassuringly, "Don't worry little brother, I remember. What I don't remember is you turning into an elf and bothering yourself with those kind of pleasantries."

It was amusing to watch his brother's face transform from concern to outrage in a matter of seconds.

"I am not an elf! I'm nothing like an elf!" He cried indignantly, slapping Fili lightly on the arm, before looking stricken as he remembered about his older brother's injuries.

"Sorry!"

Fili waved it away, trying not to let the pain show on his face.

"Don't worry about it, little brother. How are you faring yourself?"

Kili shrugged carelessly, "I'm fine. A few bruises but all good. You were the one who was impaled, strangled and beaten."

A little uncomfortable under his brother's scrutinising gaze, Fili tried to shuffle upright, failing miserably as his battered muscles protested sharply.

He glanced pointedly at Kili.

His brother sighed, lifting under his shoulders to haul him into a sitting position against the tree, fussing about trying to make him comfortable.

"Brother, I'm fine."

Kili snorted in sudden exasperation, "You, my dear brother, are a massive hypocrite. If this were me, I wouldn't so much as be allowed to move, but when it's you, a serious infection and a fair degree of blood loss become nothing worse than a simple cold."

Unable to find a clever comeback, Fili looked petulant. "I'm older."

"And wiser?"

"Definitely wiser."

* * *

Still scowling from the humiliation of having to be lifted onto a horse, Fili nodded his thanks at Aedric, his bones still limper than boiled cabbage as Kili scrambled up behind him. This, unfortunately, was the other condition to riding the horse. Apparently, if he rode alone he wouldn't make it more than twenty paces without tumbling off – and whilst it was a fact, he was still in a grumpy denial.

Kili reached around him for the reins, tugging them out of his grip with a gloating smile. Fili glowered back, feeling his brother almost trembling with excitement at getting to ride a horse rather than a pony.

The ponies of the Blue Mountains were short, stout and more often than not, pot bellied. They were slow to boot and his brother had always been a bit of a thrill seeker. Groaning inwardly, he prayed that Kili wouldn't try anything particularly risky while he was atop the damn thing.

* * *

They had ridden for hours and every joint, every muscle, every bone in his body ached with a vicious certainty. Every jolt of the horse send a wave of pain shuddering through his bruised frame, but he both to proud and too stubborn to say so.

The inn had come into sight as dusk drew close and he had never been so pleased to see anything in all his life.

He could barely stand as Kili helped him off the horse, his legs weak and throbbing with pain, leaning heavily on his brother to avoid the inevitable collapse that was now pretty much guaranteed.

The rest of the next part was a blur; warmth, roaring flames, stairs, voices, and suddenly a bed.

He stared stupidly at it.

"Well get in then." Kili sounded far too cheerful after a whole day's riding.

It was the most fantastic thing he'd ever lain in. Soft, downy and absolutely, goddam amazing.

The double bed bounced as if it had been hit by a quake as his brother dived onto the other side.

"This is the stuff of kings!" Kili cried in delight, "If we ever conquer Erebor, I want one of these in my bedroom!"

"You are going to travel half way across Middle-Earth, slay a dragon and fight off everyone else who wants their hands on grandfather's treasure, just so you can get a feather bed like this?" He asked incredulously.

"Exactly!"

Fili shook his head wearily, "Don't you have your own bed?"

"I didn't think you'd want to be by yourself."

He looked pointedly at his little brother.

Kili scowled, hunching down under the covers, "Ok, so _I_ didn't want to be by myself. Is that a crime? We just got captured by mad creatures and I thought we were going to die."

Fili shuffled a little closer, wrapping an arm around his little brother, feeling the tension leave him as Kili relaxed into the hug.

He shut his eyes, so glad to be out of the cold, the damp and the wet that he fell straight asleep, Kili succumbing to dreams shortly afterwards, safe and warm and dry.

**Guess what...No cliffhanger! Happy **_**No cliffhanger**_** day everybody! Please Review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hellooo again, sorry for the wait. I was stranded in the snow without my laptop. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far.**

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_They clawed at him in the dark. Swooping shadows taunting him, snarling at him, ever clinging at the edge of obscurity, hidden in the corner of his eye like a phantom._

_A blur, swift as a bird, as a gust of wind that tugged at him, black tendrils clutching at him, drawing him down into the dark._

_He fought._

_Thrashing wildly, he struggled against his bonds, almost hyperventilating with desperation as the darkness threatened to swallow him._

Suddenly wide awake, he threw himself bolt upright, panting in the cool night air. The dark was suffocating, the candles long since burned into obscurity, their soft glow extinguished by molten wax.

Feeling trapped, he scrambled out of the bed, skin soaked with chilled sweat, throwing the curtains wide in desperation.

Moonlight streamed into the room and he could breathe again.

Filling his lungs with a deep gasp of breath, he rested his warm forehead against the cool glass, letting the pale light embrace him like a long lost friend.

With a weary sigh, Kili scrubbed a hand roughly across tired eyes, trying to block out the memories that had stimulated a fresh wave of the old nightmares he'd suffered throughout his life.

He had no idea why he was so terrified of the dark. It was humiliating. It was pathetic.

A dwarf scared of the dark? Ridiculous.

For a dwarfling, it was embarrassing enough, but when the night terrors pursued him through adolescence, it was downright pitiful.

He sighed again, folding himself tiredly into the bench below the window, resting his head on his knees – too weary to be bothered by the childlike posture he'd adopted.

A creak by the bed. His head jerked about in an instant, still on red alert from the nightmare. His heart thudded painfully – but it was just Fili, hobbling across the room towards him.

He smiled weakly at his brother's concerned expression, shifting along so Fili could collapse next to him.

Fili groaned as he sank onto the hard bench, his joints protesting, stiff with sleep.

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He'd desperately wanted to drift back off, but something had woken him and that same something was keeping him awake. The space beside him was empty, a fact that sent alarm spiralling through him. He spun his head, trying to ascertain where his brother had disappeared to.

The lonely, pallid figure hunched in the window seat sent equal parts of worry and relief through him in waves.

He should have realised that their escapade in the caves had affected Kili more than he let on.

He cursed silently, hauling himself into a sitting position. Every movement ached. He dragged himself, foot by foot towards the window, noting the sudden tensing of his brother's posture as he became aware of his presence.

Concern flooding him, he eased himself down onto the bench, reaching out to touch Kili's shoulder with a careful hand, his heart breaking slightly as his brother shuddered at the contact.

He folded his arms firmly around his little brother, feeling Kili sag against him, head resting against his chest and tightened his grip.

Kili shuddered, starting to tremble in his arms, burrowing further into his brother's hold.

Fili berated himself furiously for blindly assuming his brother would be ok after such a traumatic incident. He was terrified of the dark. A week in the pitch black of the caves must have been utter torment for him.

Is brother's fingers wove into his shirt, clinging to him in desperation and he pulled him closer still, feeling the trembles shake his own body.

And there they stayed, until the dawn rose.

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As daylight dawned, they left the inn, travelling on horseback, tired and stiff towards their destination.

A long day of travelling and half the night later, the walls of Bree beckoned ahead and relief shone in the eyes of the travellers.

Aerin led them onwards, to an inn called _The Prancing Pony_, where in a dazed blur they were introduced to his brother and ushered to a room. They collapsed promptly.

Waking the next morning – or more appropriately, early afternoon, they surfaced from dreamless sleep and descended the stairs, a little more alert, but no less blurry eyed.

Curious, Kili gazed about him, taking in the sight of talk folk and short folk alike – not dwarves, but something else entirely. Thrilled to find someone shorter than himself, Kili almost bounced in glee, nearly backing into someone of towering height and stormy disposition.

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A tall gentleman of imposing height, a beard and a gnarled staff – it fit the description his Uncle had given perfectly.

Could it be the wizard? Kili bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet uncertainly, dithering about whether or not to approach him.

Then the wizard's shrewd eyes fell upon him and Fili pushed him forwards to be scrutinised further.

He shrank a little under the intense gaze that seemed to examine him from head to toe, pouring through his thoughts, pondering his dreams, dissecting his ambitions and weighing his morals. It was if he were standing before Aüle himself, being judged for all his deeds.

But then the gaze shifted to his brother and he fidgeted, relieved as the stormy eyes scanned Fili instead, noting that his brother stood a little straighter, his knuckles white in clenched fists under the scrutinising gaze.

Then it seemed they had been judged, for the eyes softened, his mouth quirking into a gentle smile.

"Does Thorin know his nephews have ventured so far from home?"

Kili shrank a little further behind his brother, more than a little intimidated.

Even Fili seemed a little cowed, his shoulders hunched as he stammered out, "No, sir."

The wizard's eyes twinkled, "I daresay your Uncle won't bemoan the matter too much. I hear his meet in the Iron Hills was not as successful as he would have liked. He will be glad for the extra swords – not that he'll say so of course. Stubborn creature."

Kili plucked up his courage to speak. "Is it true then, that you're planning an expedition to Erebor?"

The wizard sighed. "Your Uncle is as vocal as ever then, I see. I do hope the rest of the Blue Mountains have not inadvertedly been privy to Thorin's plans. I fear for the safety of this venture, I really do. But to answer your question, yes, although this is not the place for such conversation."

Producing a pipe from his robes, the wizard tapped it briskly on the table to remove the ash before filling it. To the brothers' astonishment, a flickering flame sprang to life at the tip of his finger, not appearing to scorch him in any way.

Kili stared, open-mouthed as Gandalf lit the pipe, pinching out the flame as quickly as it had come into being.

"Did that not burn you?" he asked incredulously, tilting his head curiously.

Gandalf looked affronted for a brief moment, staring at the young dwarf in disbelief.

"My dear boy, I'm a wizard, not a candle."

Kili bowed his head as quickly as possible without dislocating his neck, his cheeks flushing like ripe tomatoes. "Sorry." He muttered, abashed, missing the small smirk shared between his brother and the wizard.

There was a clatter outside, a loud curse in Khuzdul and a heavy thudding on the door of the inn. Both he and Fili straightened in their seats, knowing that voice almost as well as their own.

Suddenly terrified of his Uncle's wrath, Kili hunched in his seat, trying to become as small as physically possible.

The wizard merely looked amused at the commotion, "I see Thorin has arrived."

The door opened with an earth-shattering crack as his Uncle thrust it open and the expression on his face changed from relieved to murderous in seconds as he scanned the room.

"What in the seventh hell are you two doing here?"

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**Woo! I'm back to my normal cliffhanger-y self. Please Review!**


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